New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation the main tunnel and five underpasses of Pragati Maidan Integrated Transit Corridor Project on Sunday. The Integrated Transit Corridor project is an integral part of Pragati Maidan Redevelopment Project.

The Prime Minister called the project a big gift from the central government to the people of Delhi. He recalled the enormity of the challenge in completing the project due to the traffic congestion and the pandemic. He credited the new work culture of New India and workers and engineers for completing the project.

The Prime Minister said that this tunnel is part of the campaign to transform Pragti Maidan according to the needs of the 21st Century. He lamented the fact that despite changing India, Pragti Maidan which was created to showcase India got lagged behind due to lack of initiative and politics.

“The Government of India is working continuously for state of the art facilities, exhibition halls for world class events in the capital of the country,” he added by talking about such establishments like the International Convention and Expo Centre in Dwarka and the redevelopment project in Pragati Maidan. “Modern infrastructure developed by the central government is changing the picture of Delhi and Making it modern. This change in picture is a medium of changing destiny also,” he said.

The Prime Minister talked about the great benefits that will accrue from the integrated corridor in terms of saving of time and fuel, 55 lakh litres as per one estimate, and also decongestion of traffic leading to environmental dividend, equivalent to planting five lakh trees. He said these permanent solutions to enhance ease of living are the need of the hour.

The Prime Minister said that the country is creating multimodal connectivity through the vision of PM GatiShakti National Master Plan. PM GatiShakti National Master Plan is a medium of Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas, he said. The Prime Minister conveyed his happiness about the adoption of GatiShakti by states as he was briefed in the recent Chief Secretary Conference in Dharamshala.

For the first time, the Prime Minister emphasized that any government is giving importance to urban planning on such a large scale. Work is being done to provide better facilities to everyone, from the urban poor to the urban middle class. In the last eight years pucca houses to more than 1 crore 70 lakh urban poor have been ensured. /BI/